World Athletics president Sebastian Coe (Photo Credit: World Athletics)

Sporting bodies red card Russia

· Chronicle

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
A number of international sporting bodies have temporarily severed ties with Russian sports federations following a special military operation by Russia in neighbouring Ukraine.

Fifa, World Athletics, Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and International basketball federation (Fiba) have all disengaged from Russian sports federations.

World football governing body Fifa and Europe’s Uefa were the first to take action, throwing Russia out of World Cup qualifier as well as European championships.

Russia were meant to play Poland in a Fifa World Cup playoff on March 24, while their ladies team was scheduled to take part in the upcoming Euro championships in July.

Spartak Moscow have also been removed from the Europa League, meaning round of 16 opponents RB Leipzig will be handed a bye to the quarter-finals of the competition.

“Following the initial decisions adopted by the Fifa Council and the Uefa executive committee, which envisaged the adoption of additional measures, Fifa and Uefa have decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both Fifa and Uefa competitions until further notice.

“These decisions were adopted by the Bureau of the Fifa Council and the executive committee of Uefa, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both institutions on such urgent matters.

“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,” the two bodies said a joint statement.

Russia becomes the third country to be suspended by Fifa over political distubances, the first having been South Africa in 1961 because of the country’s apartheid policy and insistence on fielding all-white teams. Yugoslavia followed in 1992 at the height of the civil war.

The World Athletics council said all athletes, support personnel and officials from Russia and Belarus will be excluded from all World Athletics series events for the foreseeable future, with immediate effect.

Upcoming events include the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22, the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, and the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22, which begin tomorrow in Oman.

The council also agreed to consider further measures, including the suspension of the Belarus Federation, at its scheduled council meeting next week.

The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) has been suspended from World Athletics since 2015 due to doping violations and therefore is not currently eligible to host World Athletics events or send teams to international championships.

The Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) process remains in place, but Russian athletes who have received ANA status for 2022 are as a result excluded from World Athletics series events for the foreseeable future.

All Russian ANA or Belarusian athletes currently accredited for the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 and the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 (March18-20) will have their accreditation withdrawn and entries denied, as will any support personnel and officials.

“Anyone who knows me will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain.

I have railed against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political points when other sectors continue about their business.

This is different as governments, business and other international organisations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors. Sport has to step up and join these efforts to end this war and restore peace. We cannot and should not sit this one out,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

Basketball controlling body Fiba said it remained very concerned by the recent events in Ukraine and in line with the International Olympic Committee executive board resolution and its reasons, Russian teams and officials will not be allowed to participate in Fiba Basketball and 3×3 basketball competitions until further notice.

“Fiba will communicate any further decisions taken by the central board at its meeting on March 25, as well as by FIBA’s European Zone bodies in the next coming days. Fiba strongly condemns violence and hopes peace will urgently prevail,” said Fiba.

Russia was set to play host to the Volleyball Men’s World Championship from August 26 to September 11, but in a statement, FIVB said all that country’s national teams, clubs and officials were no longer eligible to participate in international and continental events until further notice.